Riordain Duvainor
Stats * Class: Ranger (Lvl 6) * Race: Wood Elf * Armor Class: '''15 * '''Alignment: '''Chaotic Neutral '''Physical Characteristics * Age: 132 * Height: 5'10" * Weight: 132 lb * Eyes: Green * Hair: Black * Skin Tone: Pale Background "King or beggar, what's the difference? It's one dh'oine less." - Riordain Duvainor Early Life Riordain is a young elf, but has seen much violence. His aptitude at an early age for survival in the woods of his youth marked him early for the ranks of the Maethor Feredir (warrior hunters), the small cohort of wood elves who defend their homeland - the Naru Taur - from monster and dh'oine''Derogatory elven word for outsider, reserved primarily for humans, but including other humanoid races. alike. While other boys and girls crafted musical instruments, tended to the growth and health of the forest, or created beautiful art, Riordain crafted bow and arrow. As young as 40, he was already slaying goblins with the other ''Maethor Feredir. Adulthood Riordain earned his name at 84. He, following in the tutelage of Filavandrel aen Fidhail, specialized in hunting the greatest threats to the Naru Taur; the dragons. His first success, with the help of three other Maethor, was to slay a young green dragon named Nakata attempting to establish a lair within the Taur. Though it cost him his right eye, and a permanent disfiguring scar, he slew the beast. The young elf had found his calling. The decades following were spent perfecting his archery - compensating for his injuries until he surpassed his original skill. He further studied with the Maethor in the enemies of the forest, hunting goblin, kobold, orc and goblin, bugbear and troll, and all manner of unnatural beast. But it was the dragon which enthralled Riordain - their might and majesty. Their cunning and cruelty. They were the greatest threat to the Naru Taur (following that of humanity). Armed with experience, Riordain chose to turn his focus to the black dragon of Caer Tirth ''(Keep of Pigs). This dragon - Kagorath - had over the course of a century made its lair there and slowly transformed the surrounding forest into the ''Dúr Ló (Dark Swamp). This dragon represented the single most prominent threat to the wood elves of Naur Taur; it would be Riordain who slew it. Riordain spent over a year learning the habits and disposition of the dragon and its kobold servants. Finally, patiently and deliberately, he began surreptitiously picking off unwary kobolds as they went about their nightly activities in the swamp - gathering food and firewood, raiding passing travelers, etc. Riordain found success early on, but knew he must not be brazen; he knew it would be a feat indeed to strike at the heart of the vile Kagorath's nest. It would be years before he could recruit other Maethor Feredir to the cause. It wasn't as though this hadn't been tried before; the songs of the elves' deaths who tried before him still echoed in Riordain's head, and in his music gave tribute to their sacrifice. Riordain spent two more years in the Dúr Ló (Dark Swamps), eliminating dozens of kobolds, but he knew it would be half a decade at least before victory was his... ... but then a small group of dh'oine entered the swamp, sowing chaos and havoc - brazenly attacking. Riordain cursed; these fething imbeciles would ruin his carefully laid plans and set him back a decade. Kagorath would crush them and bring vindictive revenge upon the wood elves. Without his aid, they would die, as would many of his brethren. He had no choice. He would have to ally with the dh'oine temporarily... Prejudice All elves of the woodland realm are taught to despise the dh'oine, for the human and the dwarf are greedy, self-serving, and have no consideration for the balance of nature. Over the millennia, the woodland elves of the Naru Taur ''learned to despise outsiders for the violence they brought, the desecration they wrought, and the sickening speed at which they would colonize. What took centuries to grow would be destroyed in less than a decade. Riordain is no different. He was taught to distrust the outsider - that their lives were worth less than nothing. His teaching was reinforced by the few encounters he had with ''dh'oine raiding the forests, cutting down ancient trees and burning acres without care. Their bloodlust was nigh to that of any hobgoblin, and Riordain was all too willing to cut down the intruders.